Click here for general instructions and links to the other session varieties.

Pardee Keynote Symposia

These Pardee Keynote Symposia are special events of broad interest to the geoscience community. The sessions are interdisciplinary, representing issues on the leading edge of a scientific discipline or area of public policy and addressing broad, fundamental issues. Selection was on a competitive basis. This year's six Pardee Symposia were reviewed and accepted by the Annual Program Committee, and all speakers are invited.

The Pardee Keynote Symposia are made possible by a grant from the Joseph T. Pardee Memorial Fund.

Session details

P1. Breakthroughs in Paleontology: The Paleontological Society Centennial Symposium
Cosponsored by Paleontological Society; Cushman Foundation; GSA Geobiology and Geomicrobiology; GSA Geoscience Education; GSA History of Geology; Paleontologic Research Institute
Jere H. Lipps, J. William Schopf: This session celebrates the Paleontological Society's centennial by highlighting the signal advances made in paleontology over the past 100 years. Presentations will fall into three major themes: (1) unveiling the record of life's history; (2) paradigm-changing breakthroughs; and (3) paleontology's contributions to society and the world.; Paleontology, Diversity, Extinction, Origination; History of Geology; Paleoclimatology/Paleoceanography
P2. Critical Zone Studies of Soils and Weathering: Implications for Interpreting Climate and Landscapes of the Past
Cosponsored by GSA Sedimentary Geology Division; S05 Pedology; GSA Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology Division; Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM)
Steven G. Driese, Lee C. Nordt: This session will focus on uniting the efforts of geoscientists studying ancient soil systems with those engaged in studies of modern surface soils and rock weathering, identifying important controls on rates and processes of weathering and soil formation in modern systems and relating these to interpreting climates and landscapes of the past.; Paleoclimatology/Paleoceanography; Geochemistry; Quaternary Geology
P3. Energy, Water, Soil, and Crops: Status and Challenges for 2050
Cosponsored by GSA Geology and Society Division; C03 Crop Ecology, Management & Quality
Vernon B. Cardwell, John D. Kiefer: This session will explore the geological and agricultural barriers and challenges of achieving sustainable energy, water, and soil uses for the needs of humans and aquatic and terrestrial life by 2050.; Public Policy; Environmental Geoscience
P4. Large Scale Continental Deformation at Plate Boundaries
Cosponsored by GSA Structural Geology and Tectonics Division
Lucy M. Flesch, Nathan Niemi: This is dedicated to understanding large-scale continental deformation along the North American plate boundary-both motions and processes. The session will address new results from the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO), USArray, SAFOD, geologic data, and methods that integrate this data.; Tectonics; Geophysics/Tectonophysics/Seismology; Structural Geology
P5. Perspectives on an Emerging Workforce Crisis in Geology: Assessing a Looming Irony
John Holbrook, Kevin Bohacs: The recent and rapid increase in demand for geologists has yet to foster a comparable surge in enrollment. Industries served by geology are scrambling for available graduates. Academia's response is hampered by competing priorities and limited resources. This session assembles diverse perspectives to assess the existence, intensity, and best response to this perceived "workforce crisis" in geology.; Public Policy; Geoscience Information/Communication; Geoscience Education
P6. Return to the Moon: A New Era of Lunar Exploration
Cosponsored by GSA Planetary Geology Division
Louise Prockter, Jeffrey Plescia: A new era of lunar exploration has begun, with current or soon-to-launch missions from Japan (Kaguya), China (Chang' E), the U.S. (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter), and India (Chandrayaan). This session will focus on recent and anticipated results from these missions.; Planetary Geology; Volcanology; Tectonics